Alex Dorrian, head of Thales UK, has turned the French firm into Britains second biggest defence contractor. But can it hold on to him?

“Being Scottish is a good thing in international business, there’s no doubt about that,” says Alex Dorrian, head of international operations at the French electronics giant Thales. “Being a Scottish engineer is quite acceptable too.”

And he should know. In his five years at Thales, the last two as UK chief executive, Glasgow-born Dorrian has achieved a remarkable feat: he has won the French a sizeable chunk of the British defence market while climbing almost to the top of one of their largest global groups.

In the process, he has helped transform Thales from a minor player in Britain to the biggest defence contractor after BAE. Recently, it has won a string of impressive contracts: involvement in the multi-billion pound deal to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, prime contractor slot in the Future Integrated Soldier